NOTE: The ads that come up on these pages are NOT endorsed or recommended by me. They are a result of the free site hosted by Angelfire. I have no control over them at all.
First and foremost, our dogs are our Companions! We have been involved in breeding, raising, training and showing Great Danes since 1972.
The USDA’s proposed National Animal Identification System (NAIS) was originally designed to give the big beef producers help in getting export markets which required disease controls. The idea is that every single livestock animal in the United States will be identified and tagged. All livestock animal movements will be tracked, logged and reported to the government. The benefit is to the big factory farms who probably do need this type of regulation. They get to do single ID’s for large groups of animals. Small farmers, pet owners and homesteaders will have to tag and track every single animal.
There are no exceptions - even small farms that sell direct to local consumers will be required to pay the fees and file all the paper work on all their animals. Even horse, llama and other pet owners will be required to participate in NAIS. Homesteaders who raise their own meat and grandma with her one egg hen will also have to register their homes as ‘farm premises’ and obtain a Premise ID, tag all their animals and submit all the paperwork and fees. Absurd? Yes - There are no exceptions under the current NAIS plan. The USDA has slipped this plan in the back door without any legislation. This is going to be very expensive and guess who is going to pay for it in higher food prices… You!
We teach private obedience lessons to dog owners. We believe every dog should be obedience trained, however we do not board and train dogs. We work with the TEAM. That is the only way the dog will learn to work within and for the family. There is no reason a dog cannot be trained for both breed and obedience work, especially at the same time. Obedience dogs are
trained to stand & stay & allow a stranger to inspect them! Wow, how much easier can it get? Dogs trained to stand/stay can easily be trained to free stand/bait in the breed ring which looks very exciting!
SEE OUR TALENTED KIDS!
SEE OUR CCI PUPS!
OBEDIENCE ARTICLES
OUR DOGS & THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
BUYING A GREAT DANE WISELY
THE CAMPING KIDS
THE EZMATIC PET DOOR
See Amstel and some of our other dogs in Mary McCracken's excellent book covering all aspects of owning a Great Dane -
The Great Dane Handbook
LIAM, OUR COC CCI DOG!
DISI THE CAT!
VISIT OUR MEMORIAL PAGES
We lost Lier to cardiomyopathy in 1999. Then we lost Lier's sister, Meisel, in June 2001 also to cardiomyopathy. We lost one of our rescues we were fostering - Apollo - to a sudden rupture of the heart in July 2004. We were fortunate to be able to participate in the cardio study supported by AKC and GDCA at Ohio State University. If you have a Dane ill from or just passed on due to cardiomyopathy, please read this and contact Dr. Meurs to help us remove this disease from our beloved Danes.
VOLUNTEERING FOR CCI - Canine Companions for Independence
On March 30, 2000 we received our first CCI puppy, Comet to foster for the next year. He is 3/4 golden retriever and 1/4 labrador. He is the sweetest little yellow boy. We trained him and returned him July 27th, 2001 to CCI for advanced training and matching with a handicapped applicant. He passed his advanced training and we turned his leash over to his new partner at graduation, 7 year old Veren, February 2002. We began anew with another puppy! His name is Ruston and is also 3/4 golden retriever and 1/4 labrador. He arrived October 3, 2001 at 8 weeks of age. He was returned to CCI for his advanced training February 22, 2003 and was matched with his new partner, Louise, as a Hearing Dog October 17, 2003! We returned home in February, 2003 with our 3rd CCI puppy, Liam II, who is a yellow 1/2 golden and 1/2 lab little boy. He has grown up to be quite a handsome young boy. See much more on his page.
I graduated Clayton College of Natural Health with a Ph.D. in Holistic Nutrition. I have been applying all of my studies to improving the lives of my dogs and my family. I have some info on the BARF diet which we now incorporate into our feedings. Please check it out if you are concerned about what you are feeding to your dog. I have put my dissertation on "Hypertrophic Osteodystrophy - HOD" here for the public's use to understand how feeding a giant breed can prevent or cause growth disorders.
Members of the National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors (NADOI) and Great Dane Angel Network -
a North Texas Great Dane Rescue group.
We enjoy our homemade wine and beer.
My Favorite Doggy Links
Metro All Breed Obedience Club
National Association of Dog Obedience Instructors
Canine Companions for Independence
AKC
Great Dane Angel Network Rescue
Orthopedic Foundation for Animals
PennHip
American Temperament Test Society
Ginnie's GREAT Dane Links
Great Dane Club of America
Wysong Products
Texas Kennel Club
ALPHAbetizing Your Dog - For Dogs with Dominance Issues
Non-Doggy Links
Yahoo Finance
Mapquest
Medscape
BlowOutCongress
Great Songs on YouTube!
Sungha Jung (check out the others too)
Los Lonely Boys - Heaven
Copperhead Road by Steve Earle
Snake Farm - Ray Wylie Hubbard